Eventual
by dejiko001
Summary: A collection of seven one-shots written for Katsuyu Week 2018 (#KatsuyuWeek2018). The indescribable bond that Katsuki Bakugo and Tsuyu Asui share come to light in more ways than one—because, believe it or not, it was eventual and unavoidable.
1. Bakugo

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** Hi there! Welcome to my collection of one-shots for Katsuyu Week 2018. (Hashtagged as #KatsuyuWeek and #KatsuyuWeek2018 on Tumblr, but usually in lowercase.)

I'm just so glad and _relieved_ that I could get this out on time. Granted, I knew we could submit stuff late, but I _really_ wanted to try to be on time because knowing myself and my revision habits, this would've taken _forever_ to get out. (I kid you not when I say this because I like revising until I'm content with what I've written.)

But, since these are all one-shots to celebrate Katsuyu Week, I figured that I should steer away from heavily revising them and just post most of them as-is (with minor revisions, of course).

This isn't a total AU, for the record. I decided to have it be set present time—kinda, sorta, but not really—before there's like a 10-year time jump, which then becomes an aged-up AU at that point. (I don't know how it ended up that way. I really don't. My writing just took form like that.)

I was planning on making all the one-shots be separate from each other, but for Day 1, it'll be a prequel to Day 4 because I really liked how things turned out with what I've written for Day 1 and wanted it to be wrapped up and a companion to Day 4.

For this one-shot, since the prompt is _Bakugo_ , it's a bit Katsuki-centric, and everything's from his perspective, so fair warning: expect some coarse language.

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 1: _Bakugo_  
(Prequel to Day 4: _Tsuyu_ )

Katsuki wasn't sure when this had happened, really—when his eyes started shifting more to glance at Tsuyu in his classroom, that is. Whenever she entered the room or even made a subtle sound like a giggle, his eyes unconsciously darted toward her direction, recognizing her voice immediately.

He didn't mind it at first. Maybe it was because she had poked fun at him on that one day in the bus. He never got back at her for that comment. At most, he just yelled at her because then, the others started joining in, and immediately, he wanted to just kill all of them.

So, he told himself that whenever his gaze shifted toward her direction, unconsciously or consciously, it was because he hated her—because she never should've made that comment about how he'd never be popular.

 _Hah!_ One day, he'll show her that she was fucking _wrong_ and that he'll be as popular as ever! All that fame and glory he'd get would be after he became a superhero and beat all those supervillains' asses one by one because _he_ was the one who beat them—because _he_ was aiming to be the best superhero—because she was fucking _wrong_ , and he'll _smirk_ in her face once she'll see how popular he became and tell her, "Looks like you were wrong, Froggy."

But lately, he noticed she was getting closer with that Fumikage Tokoyami. She started smiling and giggling when he was around—hell, he could've sworn he saw a slight blush on her cheeks the other day when he overheard Ochaco tease Tsuyu about Tsuyu's closeness with Fumikage.

Katsuki didn't like it.

He didn't know why, but he just didn't like any of it. Not one bit.

* * *

Katsuki was 26 now—a 26-year-old superhero who had just finished his share of patrolling around the city. His hands were _itching_ to just punch something, but no damn villains had appeared even _once_ today.

He had seen Tsuyu recently—or rather, he saw her in a magazine for some superheroine summer swimsuit photoshoot to promote cleaning up beaches. He had recognized a few of the other girls who participated, like Momo and Ochaco. He vaguely remembered how popular those two were among the boys, even back in high school, so he wasn't surprised to see them.

He _was_ surprised to see Tsuyu in it, though. She had stayed far away from cameras for so long—hell, the last time he saw her was on their graduation day—that seeing her participate in a photoshoot, even if it _was_ for cleaning up beaches, just seemed so unlike her.

When he overheard some stupid men behind him in the convenience store talk on and on about how hot and sexy Froppy was and how she should participate in more photoshoots, he wanted to punch the living _daylights_ out of them.

And that same irritation occasionally bubbled inside him the more he thought about how popular she must've become now—because most likely, she had already forgotten about mocking his so-called popularity.

"Fucking shit," Katsuki grumbled, now realizing that he had unconsciously arrived at the beach and was standing on the sand—and he was still in his superhero costume.

He was about to turn around and head back until he saw a head pop out from the sea—and that same head looked at him in bewilderment upon seeing him.

His eye twitched. "Speak of the _fucking_ devil…"

"Bakugo?" Tsuyu called out, still in her Froppy superheroine costume.

He _could_ leave. He was half-debating on leaving, but there was something that seemed _different_ about her that he kept staring at her as she swam toward him. It wasn't until that she finally got out of the water and stood about a few meters away from him that he realized what was different.

"You cut your hair," Katsuki said, his eyes lingering on how her hair was just a straight bob. "What, did you go through a break-up or something?"

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow at him. "Says the boy who recently got criticized for almost _bludgeoning_ a small-time robber to _death_."

Katsuki glared and stomped toward her until he was in front of her. "'Boy?' I'm fucking _26!_ Do I _look_ like a boy to you?!"

"Oh, really?" Tsuyu replied, raising her eyebrow further at him. "Sounds like you're the same old Bakugo I remember from back in high school."

Katsuki growled.

"And for the record, _no_ , my hair wasn't cut short because of a break-up. I chopped it off while I was in a do-or-die situation while at sea. I went to a hair salon the other day to get it fixed up."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her, remembering that the other reason why he convinced himself that he hated her back then was because of her _stupid_ smartass comments.

He realized then how her superheroine costume still clung to every curve she had in her body, and when he recalled how she wore that white bikini and posed—especially the solo ones where she was smiling innocently or her entire body was shown, showing off _every_ damn curve she had—he immediately averted his gaze elsewhere, just _anywhere_ away from her damn face and body because _for fuck's sake,_ he was on the verge of having weird thoughts and feelings about her _again_ like back in high school, except a _hell_ of a lot worse.

He felt his breathing hitch once he realized their proximity. He hadn't realized how close he was to her until now because she had riled him up so much.

"Did you just finish your patrolling?" Tsuyu asked.

Katsuki grunted, his gaze shifting back to her, but it took _everything_ in him to force his gaze to remain on her face and _not_ on the various trickling droplets of water that _slowly_ went down from her neck to the rest of her body.

"I see. I just finished up myself. I'll see you later, then?"

Katsuki blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Tsuyu blinked as well, but nonchalantly. "I said that I'll see you later. Unless you want to talk about something else?"

Katsuki frowned, pausing in his thoughts momentarily to _forget_ about the way her big eyes looked at him. "No."

"Okay, then."

Katsuki's eyes lingered on her figure as she walked away, doing his best to try not to look any lower, so he looked to the back of her head and noticed then that there were remnants of algae clinging to her hair.

"Hey!" Katsuki called out.

Tsuyu turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You have algae on your hair, Froggy."

"It's _Froppy_ ," Tsuyu corrected as she started trying to fish the algae out of her hair. Tsuyu turned back around, letting Katsuki see the back of her head. "Is it gone now?"

"No," Katsuki replied, frowning.

Tsuyu began fishing all the algae out again, but she still managed to miss a few of them.

At that point, Katsuki started growling in frustration and irritation. "Oh, for fuck's sake, let me do it."

"Huh?"

Katsuki didn't even hesitate to stomp forward and start removing the algae out of Tsuyu's hair. It wasn't hard, considering how short her hair was now, but once he realized what he was _doing_ , he unconsciously felt his hands linger a bit longer than he should've on her hair as he slowly removed the algae, piece by piece. He inaudibly gulped, realizing how soft her hair felt and the scent of the sea coming from her hair and entire body from their proximity.

When he finally removed the last piece of algae, he grunted. "There. Done."

Tsuyu turned around and stared at Katsuki in response.

Katsuki glared at her. "What?"

"You know, you're not a bad guy, after all."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Tsuyu smiled. "That you're not so bad."

Katsuki continued to glare at her, his gaze lingering at her smile, before he grunted.

"Well, thanks for your help. See you later for real now."

Katsuki didn't respond. He was tempted to just grunt again and then _leave_ , but there was something pulling him— _telling_ him—to stay and _say_ something to her. After all, it had been about a decade now, and he wanted to _fucking show her_ that he _can_ be popular, but his mind felt like a weird jumble of thoughts, and everything felt so _scrambled_ that he didn't even notice she was turning to walk away.

Within seconds, he unconsciously reached out for her arm and grabbed it.

Tsuyu blinked in surprise, turning back.

Katsuki stood rigid because _why did he do that?_ Holy _fuck_ , why in the _world_ did he do that? And yet, that didn't stop him from hearing his heart beat so loudly in his ears, his lips suddenly feeling dry, and his breathing beginning to hitch.

"Bakugo?" Tsuyu asked, not moving a muscle.

Katsuki let out a soft exhale, inwardly telling himself _and_ his heart to _calm the fuck down_ and frowning before he cleared his throat. "You're not so bad yourself."

Tsuyu blinked in surprise again.

"And your hair—it's not that bad," Katsuki grumbled, just loudly enough for Tsuyu to hear. "'Cause, you know, you're not bad."

A few seconds of silence ensued, and as every second passed, Katsuki wondered if he should let go of her arm already, especially with Tsuyu just _staring_ at him in response.

Finally, Tsuyu smiled. "Thanks, Bakugo."

Katsuki's eyes widened. There was just _something_ about the way the evening sun shone down on them—on her _face_ , specifically—that he couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't even realize that he had unconsciously let go of her arm until she gave a small wave with her other hand and started walking away from him.

Although that itching sensation he had to go punch something had disappeared for God knew how long now, he just wished he could make his heartbeat stop pounding so loudly in his ears—because he'd be _damned_ to ever let her know how he was feeling, even if he didn't understand it himself.


	2. Shattered

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** Here's the second one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 2 is _Shattered_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!) **  
**

Oh, man, I managed to finish this one up on time. I got worried I wouldn't make it again, but somehow, I made it—barely...

Anyway, this is another aged-up AU, but not as big as the previous one-shot's. I originally thought about making this showcase some angst and hurt/comfort, but somehow, my writing took a turn and sputtered this out instead. After reading it a few times, I realized this fit pretty well for Katsuyu Week, so I decided to stick with it.

Still, expect some small angst, but majority of it will be hurt/comfort with a dose of friendship and humor to showcase that Katsuyu bond. Oh, and fair warning: expect some coarse language since Katsuki likes to curse.

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 2: _Shattered_

Tsuyu was sitting on a swing, her legs dangling in the air. The swing was thankfully big enough to accommodate her, and somehow, swinging was enough to take things off her mind—thoughts that she shouldn't dare think of when she should be _happy_.

And she should be—so why wasn't she?

"What the hell?"

Tsuyu gazed upward, only to find Katsuki frowning and standing a few meters away from her.

"Why are you here?" Katsuki asked.

Tsuyu only stared at him in response before glancing away. She…really wasn't in the mood to answer—or talk with anyone, for that matter.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, you know."

"I know," Tsuyu answered softly, staring at her knees. Her legs were still dangling… Maybe if she was taller, things would've been different? Or, or maybe…

" _Hello?_ Earth to Froggy!"

Tsuyu blinked, looking up again, and she was startled to see Katsuki standing right in front of her.

"I asked why the hell you're here! Or do you not have ears?" Katsuki snapped.

"Thinking," Tsuyu replied.

"Can't you do that elsewhere?"

"I can. But, I don't want to." Tsuyu paused. "Why?"

"Because that's _my_ swing," Katsuki retorted, scowling.

"I didn't see your name on it."

"I don't need to put my damn name on it! Everyone who passes by here knows this swing is mine around this time!"

Tsuyu finally took notice of the plastic bag in Katsuki's hand, and she could see a few snacks sticking out from the bag. "You…eat Pocky?"

Katsuki flinched and immediately hid the bag behind him. "The hell you talking about?"

"Pocky. I saw it in your bag." Tsuyu paused. "Do you have strawberry?"

Katsuki glared at her in response.

"Oh, I guess not," Tsuyu mumbled.

Katsuki continued to glare at her until he finally sighed in exasperation and sat in the swing next to hers.

Tsuyu couldn't help but glance over, noticing that he was able to at least reach the woodchips with the tip of his shoes.

"The hell you looking at?"

"Nothing," Tsuyu replied.

Katsuki scoffed as he brought the bag to his lap. "Doesn't look like nothing to me." He began scrounging around in the bag until he finally brought out a box of strawberry Pocky. Immediately, he handed it to Tsuyu. "Here."

Tsuyu blinked a few times before averting her gaze to the ground. "No, I'm fine."

"The hell? I thought you wanted some."

"I changed my mind."

Katsuki scoffed again, but made no comment.

Within seconds, Tsuyu could hear him opening the box and unwrapping its packaging. It wasn't long before she glanced at him and saw him already eating the strawberry Pocky sticks.

Katsuki glanced back, and he frowned. "What, you changed your mind again?"

"No. I just thought it was strange."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow in response.

"You're such a stickler for eating healthy, and yet, here you are, just pigging out on Pocky."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Ever heard of a fucking cheat day?"

"In that case, I don't think you're setting a good example as a superhero, Mr. Bakugo."

"Don't call me that."

"Call you what?"

"'Mr. Bakugo.' It's weird. Don't call me that."

"Okay, _Bakugo_. There. Better?"

Katsuki grunted in response.

A few seconds of silence ensued, and Tsuyu's eyes averted to the sky this time. She hadn't even realized that the sun was already setting, and it was near nighttime. She then took out her phone and saw the time: 8:00 P.M.

"You don't seem like yourself," Katsuki said.

Tsuyu blinked, glancing at Katsuki.

"Is it because Deku and Uraraka are officially dating now?"

Tsuyu's eyes slowly averted to the ground again.

"I'll take your silence as a yes."

Tsuyu opened her mouth to try to retort, but she just didn't know _how_. Instead, she found herself turning her head to look at Katsuki, who continued to look straight ahead nonchalantly as he ate his Pocky.

As if noticing her gaze, Katsuki turned his head to look at her. "Is that why you're not yourself today? Normally, you would've made a smartass comment by now."

"Like what?"

"Like making fun of the fact that I bought all these snacks and me being a 'role model' of a superhero. I mean, fuck, we're 21 now. Most 21-year-olds would be out drinking at this time, you know, not sitting at a swing set and eating snacks."

"We're superheroes, though."

"That's why I said 'most.' _Duh._ "

Tsuyu continued to stare at Katsuki, her mind wandering for a few seconds as she tried to collect her thoughts together. Finally, she sighed. "I don't know."

Katsuki paused in his eating, and once he bit off part of the umpteenth Pocky stick he was on, he raised an eyebrow in response.

"I don't know. I feel like I should be happy for them—but I'm not."

Katsuki scoffed. "You shouldn't force yourself to be happy. It'd be stupid of you to."

"I know."

"If you know, then why are you trying to force yourself?"

"Because they're my _friends_."

"Doesn't change the fact that you liked Deku as more than a friend."

Tsuyu clenched the fabric of her sundress on her lap. She _really_ didn't need to hear that coming from someone like Katsuki, who obviously couldn't empathize with her situation. She had never really told anyone about her feelings for Izuku, and no one ever figured it out.

Well, at least until she had started coincidentally meeting Katsuki during patrols and he had caught her remorseful face when they had both landed on a billboard with Izuku starring on it. Somehow, he had managed to put two and two together and bluntly confronted her about it. She had confessed—because at that point, they were at some level of companionship, and she felt comfortable with sharing it to him. She had learned by then that he wasn't the type to tattle, after all.

"You know, you could've hit me up once you were feeling down," Katsuki said before he shoved an unopened box of Pocky in her direction.

Tsuyu blinked before taking the box unconsciously. "But—"

" _Eat._ Knowing you, you probably haven't fucking eaten anything."

And he was right—well, sort of.

Tsuyu had eaten a few snacks here and there, like granola bars and fruits, but the last full meal she had was breakfast earlier today.

"It's better to eat something than nothing," Katsuki said.

Tsuyu sighed before she began opening the box, unwrapping its packaging, and finally taking a bite of a Pocky stick. "Thanks, Bakugo."

Katsuki grunted in response.

"Still want to switch seats?"

"No, you can sit there since you're being emo and all."

Tsuyu hummed in response before adding, "I didn't even know you came to this park at this time."

"Yeah, well, it's nice to swing back and forth on these things." Katsuki paused. "Night sky's not so bad, too."

"Maybe we should start meeting at this park after our patrols?"

Katsuki shrugged. "If you want. But I'm not bringing snacks for you next time, so you better get your own."

Tsuyu blinked, pausing in her eating. "Wait, did you specifically buy Pocky for me?"

Katsuki grunted. "Yeah, so?"

Tsuyu sighed. "Bakugo, you didn't have to."

"Yeah, well, I bought it, so you better fucking take a couple of boxes. I'm not eating all this shit on my own."

"Okay, but how did you even know I was here?"

"I didn't. I was planning on giving them to you tomorrow. I was gonna ask you to meet up with me since we usually see each other during our patrols nowadays."

"I see…"

Another pause of silence ensued, and Tsuyu didn't mind. It gave some time for her to just think about eating the delicious strawberry Pocky sticks she had.

"Hey," Katsuki called out.

"Yeah?" Tsuyu asked.

"Want to watch a movie tomorrow after patrolling's over?"

Tsuyu blinked.

"Or we can just eat out at a restaurant or café. Whichever you want."

"Why?"

Katsuki scowled. "Are you seriously asking that?"

"Well, it's pretty sudden, Bakugo."

Katsuki sighed in exasperation. "Look, I'm no good at this comforting thing, but you know, I figured you needed some cheering up since you still have that somber look on your face."

Tsuyu blinked, her heart feeling heavy as she was reminded of the news. Ochaco had been the first to tell her, and of course, Tsuyu was happy—no, _ecstatic_ that Ochaco was so happily in love, and it was obvious that Izuku was just as much in love with her, but…

"Froggy? _Hello?_ "

Tsuyu sighed. "You _really_ need to stop calling me that. The media's going to start nicknaming me that instead of my actual superhero name."

"Don't wanna. I like it. It's my nickname for you."

"Then, at least call me Tsu or Tsuyu."

"How about Asui?"

Tsuyu sighed again, but she couldn't help the small smile on her face. Oh, well, at least Katsuki was trying to comfort her the best he could.

"Ah, you're smiling," Katsuki said, smirking a bit. "I'll take that as a yes."

Tsuyu resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "How about we go watch a movie at 7:30 P.M.? We can have dinner beforehand."

"Sounds good to me."

"It's a date, then."

Suddenly, Katsuki flinched and sat rigidly with his back straight.

Tsuyu, of course, noticed this. "Bakugo?"

"H-Huh?"

"Something the matter?"

"Uh, no, it's nothing."

Tsuyu blinked a few times, staring at Katsuki, who purposely kept his gaze away from hers. "You know, I meant it as just hanging out, not an actual date."

"I know!" Katsuki exclaimed.

Tsuyu was unsurprised by his outburst, but she raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure?"

" _Yes._ Now, shut up, and finish your food. God…"

Tsuyu couldn't help but laugh in response, and even though Katsuki started growling at her to hurry up and finish eating, so she could get her butt home, she felt that heavy weight in her heart lessen a lot more.

"Hey, Bakugo?" Tsuyu called out softly.

"Yeah?" Katsuki replied, turning his head to look at her.

"Thank you," Tsuyu said, her voice just loud enough for Katsuki to hear, but quiet enough that it could easily be muffled by any passing cars if they came by.

Katsuki smirked. "Any time, Asui. Any time."


	3. Changes

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** Dun, dun, dun! Introducing...the third one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 3 is _Changes_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!) **  
**

Once again, this is another aged-up AU, but not that much. They're younger than they are in the previous two one-shots, but they're still adults, of course.

A bit of heavy stuff is mentioned because I felt it really tied with the prompt for this day. I also did my best to really hone in and focus on the relationship these two had in this one-shot because it's a lot more different from the previous ones due to the heavy stuff mentioned.

As always, fair warning: expect some coarse language. (Katsuki doesn't curse as much in this, but he still curses.)

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 3: _Changes_

Katsuki continued to watch the movie, stuffing his face with buttered popcorn whenever he was done chewing as he laid back on his couch. The large bowl was on his lap, and he was close to finishing it—with no help from Tsuyu, of course. Somehow, she had fallen asleep, and Katsuki honestly didn't even notice until he heard the slow, steady sound of her breathing.

Katsuki didn't mind her falling asleep or the fact that she was resting her head on his shoulder. Her hair didn't bother him since it was tied into a messy bun, and her oversized shirt dress hid most of the curves he knew she had. The only curves he _could_ see were her shapely legs because of her black leggings. Somehow, she made that outfit work, compared to him, who just wore a simple black t-shirt and black athletic gym shorts.

To be honest, he had gotten comfortable with Tsuyu. He didn't know _how_ or _when_ , but maybe it was because they had started hanging out more frequently after she had caught him punching the flooring of a building's flat rooftop late in the night again and again to the point where he had bloody knuckles and had to bandage both his hands.

He didn't like the fact that she had caught him so off-guarded—because hell, he just wanted a space away from society on one of the tallest buildings in the city to _think_ —to _reflect_ on what he had _fucking done_.

It didn't help that the media had caught onto his stupid mistake either. He had wanted to say it was an accident, and he had thrown around the words of _killing_ and _stabbing_ and _exploding_ so easily that…that he forgot that even villains, no matter how small they were, had family, friends—that they were just like any other human being except that somehow strayed from the path most people would've stuck with.

"Oh… Is it over already?"

Katsuki blinked, realizing that yes, the movie was over, but he didn't dare move a muscle. It was comfortable—too comfortable with her head on his shoulder, in fact. Honestly, a part of him was tempted to lean his on hers, if he could.

Katsuki tried his best to ignore those thoughts, deciding to finish the last of the popcorn instead. "Yeah. You fell asleep like halfway through or something." He paused. "If you were that tired, you could've just stayed at home and slept."

Tsuyu finally moved her head away from his shoulder and blearily looked at him with a sleepy gaze. She stared at him for a few seconds before she finally shook her head. "No."

"No?" Katsuki repeated, placing the bowl aside on the couch.

"We've been planning this for weeks now, and we always had to change it because one of us would have some last-minute superhero emergency." Tsuyu yawned, covering her mouth. "Missing this would mean it would get pushed off until who knows when."

Katsuki stared at Tsuyu, watching how she was on the verge of closing her eyes again, and he sighed. "I knew we should've done this at your place."

"But you're the one with Netflix." Tsuyu paused. "Oh, and your couch."

"We could've watched some other movie. DVDs and Blu-rays are still a thing, you know." Katsuki paused before he frowned. "Wait, what does my couch have to do with this?"

"It's a very comfy couch."

"Don't you have one at your place?"

"Yes, but I like yours more," Tsuyu replied, leaning back on the couch. "It's a lot bigger than mine, too."

Katsuki sighed in exasperation as he grabbed his PS4 controller to log out of Netflix. "Okay, well, what's the plan now? You still hungry?" Katsuki then grabbed the remote to turn off the TV as he waited for her response, but when she didn't reply, he frowned, put the remote down, and turned to face her. "Hey, wake up."

Tsuyu blearily opened her eyes again. "Huh?"

"For fuck's sake, what time did you go to bed last night?"

Tsuyu's eyes widened for a second before she pursed her lips.

Katsuki frowned even more, realizing that she was now fully awake based on her reaction. "Well?"

"I…didn't sleep until 5:00 A.M."

Katsuki's eyes widened. "What the hell? Why?"

"I…" Tsuyu sighed, looking away. "I was thinking about what happened last year. You know, with you, I mean."

Katsuki frowned. "Oh. _That._ Look, you don't need to worry about that. I'm over it."

"You say that, but there are times when I've seen you hesitate with finishing off your opponent in battle."

"Hey, I _do_ finish off my opponents—"

"I meant to the point where they're _dead_ , Bakugo."

Katsuki's mouth stayed open for a few seconds before he finally shut it and pursed his lips. He tried to say something, but when Tsuyu turned her head to look at him, he immediately averted his gaze and sighed. "Why are you even bringing this up? It happened in the past—"

"Because I'm scared."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"I'm scared that if something like that happens again, you might lose yourself," Tsuyu replied softly. "That's all."

Katsuki felt a part of his heart wrench once he saw Tsuyu's expression turn into one of concern—and God, she looked downright _frightened_ —so he sighed. "I'll be fine. I promise."

There was a moment of silence before Tsuyu brought her knees up, almost curling into a small ball as she looked down.

Katsuki resisted the urge to reach out to her. He didn't know why he had that feeling, honestly, but seeing that look on her face made him want to make her feel better somehow.

"You'd think the media outlets would be on our side," Tsuyu muttered loudly enough for him to hear.

"Yeah, well, they'll do anything to get a story."

Tsuyu brought her gaze up to look at Katsuki. "But to do that to an 18-year-old new superhero?"

Katsuki shrugged. "Like I said, they'll do anything. _They're_ just lucky I'm a superhero. Otherwise, I would've gotten away with exploding their headquarters by now." Katsuki paused. "Maybe I _should_ become a supervillain."

Tsuyu immediately slapped his arm.

Katsuki snorted, smirking a bit at her. "I was _kidding._ Damn."

"Don't joke about things like that. I mean it."

"I _said_ I was kidding, though." Katsuki paused, seeing her expression turn into one of fear and panic, and he frowned. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I…I had a nightmare the other day. With you in it." Tsuyu paused, pursing her lips. "And in it, you became a supervillain after you killed an actual villain and the media forsook you for it. You started going after villains one by one, not even caring if they were a small-time low-ranked robber. And then…you started going after superheroes." Tsuyu paused again, her breath hitching. "You…You went after me."

Katsuki's eyes widened.

"I-I don't remember much of it. I just remember how _scared_ I was of you and how you screamed about how I never should've shown any pity to you. And you mentioned something about revenge for mocking you from back in high school, and… I…I don't know." Tsuyu's breathing had become unsteady, nearing hyperventilation.

"Hey, hey, hey," Katsuki said, reaching his hand out to rub Tsuyu's back, and he didn't like how she had initially flinched before relaxing into his touch. Once she had calmed down, he sighed. "Just so we're clear, I'd never hurt you. Ever."

Tsuyu turned her head to him in response.

"I mean it," Katsuki confirmed as he narrowed his eyes. "So that nightmare you had was just it—a _nightmare_. It wasn't real. None of it happened."

"But—"

"And I'm not going to make the same mistake twice," Katsuki interrupted before he frowned. "I learned my lesson the first time."

"Okay," Tsuyu whispered, pursing her lips.

Katsuki stared at her in response before he blinked in realization, remembering that he needed to check the time. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 10:00 P.M. "Want me to drive you home?"

"No, I can take the train home."

Katsuki frowned. "It's pretty damn late, though."

"I'll be fine. I'm Froppy, remember?" Tsuyu replied, smiling a bit.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and stood up. "Okay, I'm driving you home, _period._ "

Tsuyu blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Because you're exhausted, and the trains will stop running in about 30 minutes."

"I can make it to the station—"

" _And_ given with what you just told me, I don't want to leave you alone by yourself right now," Katsuki interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Tsuyu frowned a bit before averting her gaze in guilt.

"You're better off with me driving you home, so come on. Get up already."

Tsuyu let out a small sigh before she stood up from the couch and stretched. " _Okay_ , Mr. Bossy Explosion Pants."

Katsuki glared at her in response.

Tsuyu smiled before she turned around and began heading to the doorway.

"She just _always_ has to have the last word," Katsuki grumbled before he frowned, grabbed his keys, and followed her.

Still, he'd rather see her smile than be sad, so maybe Tsuyu poking fun at him wasn't so bad if she had the energy to do that. He knew they at least enjoyed hanging out with each other and that she was one of the reasons why he managed to stay sane during that whole media fiasco—and it was that same closeness that made him feel so comfortable around her and not so hot-tempered, even though she did like to push his buttons.

"Bakugo?" Tsuyu called.

"What?" Katsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You okay? You seemed like you were zoning out. I could always take a taxi home if you're tired."

"I'm fine, Asui. I can easily drive you home."

"If you say so."

When they both left his apartment, Tsuyu's hand had accidentally brushed against his. Neither of them made a comment, and he was thankful for that. Even though it was for a few seconds, he enjoyed that feeling, and surprisingly, he began to crave it a lot more than he thought he would.


	4. Tsuyu

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** God damn it, I'm late with posting this...but here's the fourth one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 4 is _Tsuyu_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!) **  
**

This is a continuation of Day 1's one-shot, so if you haven't read that yet (or forgot what happened), go check it out again. (You can try to read it on its own, but I mean...you might miss out on one-half of Katsuyu.)

This one-shot is _so_ Katsuyu near the end that I think I died a bit on the inside while writing it—seriously. (I think my deprivation of Katsuyu interaction began to show at that point.) Also, as always, fair warning: expect some coarse language (because Katsuki likes to curse).

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 4: _Tsuyu_  
(Sequel to Day 1: _Bakugo_ )

When Tsuyu finished up her patrol the next day and arrived home in her cozy apartment, the last thing she expected to see on her phone was an overwhelming number of messages from Ochaco on LINE.

 _OH, MY GOD, TSUYU, I NEED TO CONFIRM SOMETHING WITH YOU REAL QUICK._

 _GIRL, WHERE ARE YOU? ANSWER ME PLEASE._

 _SERIOUSLY, I KNOW YOU'RE AT HOME ALREADY. PLEASE ANSWER. I NEED ANSWERS._

Tsuyu blinked a few times until she saw the triple dots appear.

 _Tsuyu, I know you're there. I saw the "read" receipt. Explain!_

Tsuyu sighed as she took off her shoes. Then, she headed to her couch and sat down on it. _Explain what?_

 _Girl, did you not see the tabloids?_

 _Ochaco, you know I don't read tabloids._ Tsuyu paused. _Wait, I thought you weren't into tabloids?_

 _I'm not, but I overheard some girls talking about what just came out, and just—oh, my God, is it true?_

 _Uh…is what true?_

 _Are you and Bakugo dating?_

Tsuyu blinked a few times slowly as she stared at the sentence, processing what Ochaco had just sent her a few times in her head.

 _Tsuyu? Tsu? Tsu?!_

Tsuyu shook her head before she texted, _Okay, where did you get the idea that we're dating?_

 _People are talking about it! Legit, no joke!_

 _Okay, but why?_

 _Because of the tabloids! Hang on, I'll pull up the picture. Give me a sec._

Tsuyu waited, and a few minutes later, she saw the picture Ochaco sent her.

The picture was a romanticized shot of when Katsuki had grabbed her arm. It looked so picturesque with the hesitance etched on his face and the surprised look on hers, reminiscing that of a drama's typical confession scene.

To put it bluntly, Tsuyu was shocked.

 _And here's the link!_

Although Ochaco sent the link, Tsuyu didn't dare click it because the first thing she saw from the link's article title—" _Bad Boy Superhero Falls for Beloved Froppy?!_ "—was enough to make her eyes bug out.

 _Please tell me you're not dating_ , Ochaco texted. _Otherwise, I would be very upset that you have not told me until now._

Tsuyu took a few seconds to compose herself, taking a deep breath and exhaling softly. _We are NOT dating—I can assure you that much_.

 _Okay, so this photo is totally photoshopped, right?_

 _Uh…no. Or, at least, I don't think so?_

Ochaco didn't respond for a few seconds. _Wait, what?_

 _Um, I mean, I did encounter Bakugo the other day, but we only talked for a little while._

 _So…why did he grab your arm, then?_

 _I'm not sure myself. I didn't expect him to suddenly do something like that, much less compliment me._

 _Wait, WHAT? GIRL._

 _What?_

 _Why did you hide this from me?!_

 _I didn't hide this from you!_

 _You didn't tell me about it!_

 _It slipped my mind, Ochaco!_

 _Tsu, you should be ashamed of yourself. Now, give me the details!_

 _Well, I mean, Bakugo just said my hair didn't look so bad because I didn't look bad. Kind of a random thing for him to say, but that's about it._

 _And…that's all he did?_

 _Yup._ Tsuyu paused before adding, _Now that I think about it, I guess that explains why this teenager randomly gave me a thumbs-up and said she was rooting for me._

 _No way. Really?!_

 _Yup. And I said thank you._

 _PFFFT._

And the conversation continued with Ochaco telling Tsuyu about her day and vice versa, even when Tsuyu made herself dinner. It wasn't long before they both had to go to bed to get ready for the new day ahead of them.

 _Ugh_ , Ochaco texted. _I just checked my e-mail and saw I got more tabloid articles about what happened between you and Bakugo._

Tsuyu sighed. _I don't understand… Why would they do that? It's like they're asking for Bakugo to attack them._

 _You know, you make a fair point—but he is pretty popular._

 _Huh?_

 _Yeah, with a lot of the girls in high school and college. I don't know why. Maybe it's that temperamental bad boy image he's got going on._

 _You'd think most girls would know to steer away from him with that temper of his, though._

 _Yeah, Deku said that, too, haha! But Deku also told me that Bakugo always had this way of attracting people to him somehow, so he said he wasn't totally surprised._

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow. _Yeah, only because of his power and his attitude._

 _PFFFFFT. AHAHA. Okay, okay, but you're 100% sure that Bakugo doesn't have feelings for you, right?_

Tsuyu blinked in surprise. _What brought that question up?_

 _Because even Deku was surprised when I showed that picture to him. He said it looked unlike Bakugo… Then, he started murmuring reasons as to why, and that reasoning came up._

 _Well, you can tell Midoriya to cross that reason off his list because I'm pretty sure Bakugo would never ever like me._

* * *

Tsuyu met Katsuki again the next day coincidentally right after their patrolling was over, but this time, she had caught him sitting at the end of the pier and wearing his superhero costume, his legs dangling over the edge as he glared out at the sea.

Honestly, she didn't expect seeing him again so soon, considering how she had barely seen him the last decade since the other day. She had heard news of him, like how he was still rowdy, rough, violent, and temperamental as ever, which was why she wasn't surprised to hear the controversy about how he nearly bludgeoned someone to death, but she didn't really keep tabs on him—because really, why would she?

Still, she swam up to him, unfazed by how his glare intensified when he saw her, and asked, "So, how was your day?"

"What kind of question is that?" Katsuki retorted.

"It's a nice way to start out a conversation, you know. But, I guess you don't know that."

Katsuki growled.

"Something on your mind? You don't usually come by the pier often."

"What, a guy can't come out here and think?"

"He can, but you in particular? Seems suspicious to me."

"Okay, that's it!" Katsuki retorted before he stood up and pointed at the spot next to him. "Get your ass up here already!"

"Why? I'm safer in the water from your explosions."

"Because, Froggy—"

"It's _Froppy_ ," Tsuyu coolly corrected.

Katsuki groaned. "Does it look like I care?! Get your ass up here already!"

Tsuyu pondered for a moment, tilting her head. "I would, but you know, there's a nicer way to ask, Bakugo."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes.

Tsuyu stared in response.

Finally, he groaned in defeat. "Fine, just—just get up here, will you?"

Tsuyu continued to stare at him for a few seconds before she sighed, swam up to the dock, and jumped out of the water, only to land safely onto the wooden planks on her feet and hands. Slowly, she stood up and raised an eyebrow at Katsuki, gesturing him to continue.

Katsuki frowned. "Uh, so you saw that tabloid, right?"

"No, but I heard of it. Ochaco told me about it." Tsuyu paused, waiting for Katsuki to respond, but when he didn't, she asked, "Why? What about it?"

Katsuki pursed his lips. "Did it bother you?"

"Did what bother me?"

"Gee, I don't know, the _sky_ ," he replied sarcastically before adding, "For fuck's sake, I meant the tabloid. What else would I be talking about?"

"No, it didn't."

Katsuki frowned.

"Did it bother you?"

"Fuck yeah, it did! Who the hell gave them permission to take a picture of me?!"

"Bakugo, you're a superhero… It's expected that they would take pictures of you."

"In _superhero_ settings, yes—like saving someone's ass out of a fire or beating up a villain! _Not_ something like that picture!"

Tsuyu sighed. "I don't see the problem."

Katsuki scowled. "What, it doesn't bother your boyfriend either?"

Tsuyu blinked a few times in surprise.

Katsuki's scowl grew. "What?"

"Where on _Earth_ did you get the idea that I have a boyfriend?"

"Uh, you know, Bird Face."

Tsuyu blinked a few times. "Tokoyami?"

"Yeah, him."

"What about him?"

"Isn't he your boyfriend?"

" _What?_ No, he's just a close friend."

Katsuki blinked a few times. "Oh."

There was a long pause of silence as Tsuyu stared at Katsuki in disbelief.

Granted, she _did_ have a small crush on Fumikage back in high school, but she eventually got over him. Looking back on it, the crush was just pure infatuation, and honestly, Tsuyu valued Fumikage as more of a friend. Besides, she had difficulty viewing Fumikage as someone more than just a friend, even with the crush—because yes, she did like him, and yes, she had a crush on him, but…she just couldn't imagine herself dating him. Dating meant holding hands, going on dates, and, well, _intimacy_.

Tsuyu pursed her lips as that thought crossed her mind. Since she had gotten over Fumikage, she had never seen anyone else romantically again. Still, she didn't expect Bakugo to even come up with that notion.

"Where did you get that idea?" Tsuyu asked.

"Huh?" Katsuki replied, blinking a few times.

Tsuyu tilted her head, realizing that Katsuki was most likely lost in his thoughts as she was. "I asked where you got that idea from."

"Oh. Nowhere."

"I find that hard to believe."

Katsuki shrugged. "I just thought you two were a thing. That's all."

"Why?"

Katsuki scowled. "Because you kept smiling and giggling whenever Bird Face was around back in high school."

Tsuyu blinked a few times, surprised that Katsuki had even noticed because she had always thought he was the type to care only about himself and never about others, much less about their possible feelings for another classmate.

And yet, she stayed silent—because it was strange for him to even realize those things about her, considering his personality. Almost immediately, she had an epiphany—because maybe, just maybe, Izuku _was_ right.

Of course, that brought to the question of _how_ it had all started, which honestly began to boggle Tsuyu's mind further, and she couldn't resist tilting her head again, this time in confusion as she furrowed her brow.

"What?" Katsuki asked, frowning.

"Bakugo… Have you ever liked someone before?"

Katsuki stared at Tsuyu for a few seconds before he scowled. "You're shitting me, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"The hell kind of question is that?!"

"So, I'm guessing you've never liked someone before."

"Why the hell would I like someone?!"

Tsuyu shrugged. "I don't know. Have you ever thought about someone constantly?"

"No."

"Do your eyes unconsciously drift to where they are?"

" _No._ "

"Have you ever—"

"No, no, no, and _no_ ," Katsuki interrupted, growling. "For _fuck's_ sake, I've _never_ liked anyone before, so why do you keep asking these questions?!"

Still, Tsuyu ignored him and asked, "Have you ever gotten jealous before?"

Katsuki scowled. "No."

"You sure?"

" _Yes._ "

Tsuyu hummed. "I see…"

Maybe Izuku was wrong—in which case, that meant maybe Tsuyu was off her on her mark as well. But the way he had replied to her so quickly—not to mention his further denials—made her question whether he even realized it himself yet.

And so, Tsuyu decided to try something a little different—a little something that was unlike herself to do, but it would've been enough to seal the deal.

She gestured him to lean down, and when he was reluctant to do so, she continued to gesture. When he finally did, she closed the gap between them, tip-toeing just enough to reach his ear.

And with the lowest, softest voice she could muster, she whispered, "So, you've _really_ never liked someone before?"

Tsuyu had expected him to immediately back away or even start screaming at her, but instead, all she heard a sharp intake of breath from Katsuki.

There was a brief pause until finally, she heard in _her_ ear—a _low, husky_ voice—whispering, "No."

Honestly, she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel shivers going down her spine, even when she tried to keep a straight face and pursed her lips.

Once Katsuki backed away, Tsuyu noticed that his eyes were different—that they were displaying some of kind of… _emotion_ that she couldn't really identify. It looked _different_ on Katsuki because she was so used to seeing his nonchalance and glares. His gaze made her feel so vulnerable—so _exposed_ , as if he was trying to delve deep into how she was truly feeling. Just this _one_ look was enough to take her breath away, and it increasingly became difficult with every passing second to even keep her face composed.

Finally, Katsuki leaned in close to her face, just a few inches away from her lips, and it was enough for Tsuyu to unconsciously bite her lower lip.

She noticed, of course, when Katsuki's eyes shifted to something else. She still couldn't tell what it was, but she knew it was that same emotion—just darker and more prevalent.

"The next time you mess with me like this, you won't get away with it," Katsuki said in that same low tone, but even huskier.

A part of her rationalized that maybe he meant that in a threatening way, but the longer he _stared_ at her and stayed in proximity of her, the more it sounded like he was… _daring_ her to do it again—daring her to do _whatever this was_ they were both doing.

Finally, Katsuki closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and just walked away without another word.

When he was far enough, she let out a few short breaths, doing her best to digest _what had just happened_. Honestly, it took everything in Tsuyu to not collapse right then and there because her legs felt weak, she felt her face heat up, and dear _God_ , her heartbeat was pounding so _loud_.

She _knew_ this feeling, and she _knew_ what it was, but with every passing second, she kept telling herself that it was just a _one-time_ thing and that it was _never_ going to happen again—and yet, that didn't calm down her pounding heartbeat or relieve the increasing heat on her face no matter how much she kept repeating that to herself.


	5. Flustered

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** I'm late again with posting, but here's the fifth one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 5 is _Flustered_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!) **  
**

This is another aged-up AU. I don't know what is it with me and aged-up AUs between Katsuki and Tsuyu lately these past few one-shots. I _really_ don't know, but heck, this is what comes out of it when I'm writing, so I'll take it.

Also, fair warning: expect some coarse language (and mentions of other ships—if you know me and/or what I ship, then you know what ships I'm referring to).

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 5: _Flustered_

This wasn't good for Katsuki's heart. Or his mind. Or, well, _anything_ , really. A part of him just wanted to smash whatever object he could find to bits, so he could simmer down, but a part of him doubted that it would work—because _why_ did Tsuyu have to be so downright breathtaking in that little black dress?

More importantly, why did he show up here again to this stupid 10-year high school reunion at U.A.? Why did he bother, especially since they were all superheroes? Obviously, some of them couldn't make it, but the majority of everyone did, and he wasn't going to go until he heard Tsuyu was coming.

He _really_ didn't know when his feelings for her started emerging. In fact, he only confirmed his feelings for her recently when he kept overhearing Denki talk constantly about what it was like to fall in love or crush on someone when he got dragged by Eijiro to hang out. Somehow, the conversation steered onto that topic because _apparently_ , a few romances were born among all their classmates—Denki and Eijiro included, since Denki had recently started going out with Kyoka while Eijiro had celebrated his 2-year anniversary with Mina.

Normally, Katsuki would tune everything out from their conversation—because really, once he got dragged into something, he couldn't get himself out of it, even if he wanted to and continually made excuses for it—but everything Denki had mentioned was enough to make the gears turn in Katsuki's head one by one.

And now, here he was, his back turned from the person he apparently had feelings for, so he could grab punch and drink it because _good God_ , he felt parched. So, he drank one cup—or, well, downed it. Honestly, anything he could do to get rid of the dryness in his throat and his stupid heart skipping a beat every time he saw Tsuyu out of the corner of his eyes would be helpful.

"Fucking shit," Katsuki muttered under his breath.

Why did he bother coming? He knew it was to see her, but _for fuck's sake_ , he didn't even have anyone to talk to—or rather, he didn't want to talk to anyone except maybe Tsuyu. He _refused_ to be a third wheel—hell, he was a fifth wheel once, and that was awkward as hell for him—because Eijiro and Denki were with their girlfriends.

Of course, now that meant he was stuck at the punch table, and it took everything in Katsuki to resist groaning.

And he was about to groan—because, really, why _should_ he resist since he's _the_ fucking Katsuki Bakugo—until he saw Tsuyu turn around, and _dear God, why is her dress backless?!_

His jaw dropped at that realization because _everything_ was bare, and the V-line of the back of the dress only accentuated the curve of her backside and bottom.

Katsuki turned back around to face the punch table again and took sharp intakes of breaths because _was that dress even appropriate?!_ Wait, no, most of the girls were wearing formal dresses anyway, and some of them were pretty damn short, but _holy fucking shit, what the hell, Tsuyu?!_

"Fuck my life," he muttered before groaning.

"I thought you enjoyed your life."

Katsuki flinched and turned around, his eyes turning into saucers when he saw that it was Tsuyu. Immediately, he tried to regain his composure because (1) this was the girl he had feelings for, (2) he did _not_ want to look like a complete asshole—well, he was, but he didn't want to look like an _idiotic_ asshole—in front of her, and (3) dear _God_ , she was _right_ in front of him, _wearing a backless dress_.

Finally, he scowled. "What the hell do _you_ want?"

And immediately, he wanted to slap his damn forehead because _why_ did he say that? Only a few seconds in, and he was _already_ fucking up.

"Punch," Tsuyu replied. "You're blocking the bowl."

"Oh." Katsuki wanted to say more, but he didn't know what, so instead, he just coolly stepped aside for Tsuyu to get punch.

It… _really_ didn't help that Tsuyu was now in proximity of him because now, he could see her back _up close_ , and _my God_ , he was trying his best to look away from her back—from _her_ —but he just couldn't. And when his gaze finally landed on the side of Tsuyu's face—her long lashes and big eyes—he felt his heart skip another beat.

Tsuyu then turned to face him, holding a cup of punch. "You've been all by yourself this evening."

"So?" he asked, frowning.

"Aren't you going to go hang out with the others? Maybe see some people from our class or from the other classes?"

"Why should I?"

"To catch up with them—you know, see how they've been and everything."

"I'm not into that stuff."

Tsuyu tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Then, why come?"

Katsuki pursed his lips, not wanting to say that it was because of _her_ that he forced himself to come. Well, at least he was having a conversation with her now, even though he initially planned on making the first move…

"So," Tsuyu began. "How _have_ you been, Bakugo?"

Katsuki shrugged. "Same old, same old. You?"

"Wow, you're really bad at making small talk."

Katsuki glared at her, but when she smiled in response, obviously because she _knew_ that she was teasing him, he felt his heart skip another beat, so he immediately scoffed and looked away.

"But anyway, I've been doing well," Tsuyu said before sighing, continuing to smile. "The sea's amazing, honestly."

"Yeah, until you _drown._ "

"Do you not know how to swim, Bakugo?"

"I do know how to swim," Katsuki retorted. "I just try to avoid it because it washes away the sweat on my hands."

"Doesn't your costume protect you from that, though?"

"Yeah, but I meant on a regular day-to-day basis. You know, without the costume."

"That makes sense."

Katsuki pursed his lips before asking, "So, is that all that's been happening with you?"

"I mean, I mostly do my patrols in the sea, so yes."

"Did you find anyone yet?"

There, he said it. He finally said it. Or, well, why did he say that? For fuck's sake, he could've said something different, but no, he had to say _that_ —and if she did find someone, then, well…

"No," Tsuyu replied coolly.

Katsuki took a sharp intake of breath, doing his best to calm down because _she was single_ , meaning that he had a _chance._

"I never really got interested in anyone," Tsuyu added after sipping from her punch. "I don't know… I mean, once you're out in the field, it feels like most of your time's taken up with superhero work, you know?" She paused, frowning a bit. "And in our circle of mutual friends and acquaintances, the only ones who've gotten together with someone were people who knew each other during high school at U.A., not at work or some mixer."

"Mixers can be sketchy as fuck, though," Katsuki said, ignoring the way his heart was metaphorically doing backflips because _holy shit_ , she didn't like anyone, so he had even _more_ of a chance now.

"Yeah, I know."

Katsuki furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I've been to a few," Tsuyu said.

"What?!"

"Is it that shocking?" Tsuyu asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're 26 now, you know."

"Well, _no_ , but you just went on a fucking monologue about how most couples we know nowadays met their partner during their high school days at U.A."

"Yes, but still, that's no reason to be so shocked. Haven't you been to one?"

"No," Katsuki grumbled. "Because they're a waste of my time."

"Well, are you looking for a relationship right now? If so, a mixer's a good idea." Tsuyu paused before she smiled. "Unless you want to try one of those dating apps."

" _God no_ ," Katsuki groaned, scowling immediately. "Those are for hooking up. I'm not interested in that."

"There are a lot of success stories, though, like how some married couples have met each other through those apps."

Katsuki scoffed. "Yeah, if you exclude the number of people who literally just want to hook up and have a one-night-stand."

"So, I guess you're not looking for a relationship right now?"

Katsuki pursed his lips. "Uh, well…not really?"

Tsuyu tilted her head. "You sound unsure."

"Uh, well, I, uh, I like this girl," Katsuki said, thankful that he didn't completely stutter in front of her. With how perceptive she was, she might've been able to piece together that he had feelings for her.

" _Oh_ , I see." Tsuyu paused before smiling even more. "Wow, I never expected you to crush on someone."

" _Hey!_ "

Tsuyu laughed.

Katsuki growled. "You're fucking lucky you're cute."

Almost immediately, there was a pause of silence.

Within that moment, Katsuki realized what he had just said, and it took everything in him to try to act like he said it real casually, but good _God_ , he was on the verge of panicking inside because _why_ did that slip out of his mouth?! Yes, she was cute—fucking hell, she was _beautiful_ and drop-dead _gorgeous_ , but _holy shit_ , what was _wrong_ with him this evening?!

"Thanks, Bakugo. You're pretty handsome yourself."

His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but stare at her in shock.

"Oh, right, do you have your phone on you?" Tsuyu asked.

Immediately, he furrowed his brow in confusion. "Uh, yeah, why?"

"Can I borrow it real quick?"

"Sure, but what the hell for?"

Tsuyu smiled. "You'll see."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes in suspicion, reluctantly taking out his phone, unlocking it, and handing it to her, even though he knew she wouldn't try to pull a fast one on him. "Here."

"Thanks," Tsuyu replied, and after a few minutes, she smiled again and handed the phone back to him.

His eyes immediately widened in shock once he saw that she had just _added_ herself as a _contact_ on his _phone._ And yet, he couldn't say anything, because within seconds, she looked at him with a sultry gaze, her eyes suddenly glazed, and _dear God_ , he suddenly had this urge to drink an entire bottle of water.

"Call me," Tsuyu whispered before walking away, her hips swaying with every step she took.

And he would do that. He'd _definitely_ do that. He just couldn't say it because his eyes were still widened in shock, his jaw had freaking dropped, and his throat was now _extremely_ parched.

But _good God_ , if Tsuyu continued to act any further than how she just did…

Katsuki immediately did a sharp intake of breath, forcing himself to not continue those thoughts further because if he didn't stop them now, then he _really_ wouldn't be able to control his impulses...at all—because this was his _chance_ to be with Tsuyu, and _fuck yeah_ , he was going to take it.

He just hoped he was patient enough to wait for it.


	6. Burger Date

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** I'm late again with posting, but this time, it was because I was exhausted yesterday and decided to rest. Here's the sixth one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 6 is _Burger Date_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!) **  
**

This one-shot is yet another aged-up AU, but it's shorter than the previous one-shots because I wanted to focus on the simplicity and the little-things-in-life kind of atmosphere in Katsuyu. I felt like if I made it any longer, it would've ruined that simplicity I was going for.

Also, random fact: I was actually craving a burger a while ago, and then I remembered the prompt for Day 6 was _Burger Date_ , so I figured I may as well include my craving for burgers in this one-shot (because it did _not_ satiated one bit since I resisted my craving).

As always, fair warning: expect some coarse language—or, well, one bad word (because Katsuki didn't curse as much in this one-shot, which was a shocker).

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 6: _Burger Date_

"Why McDonald's?"

Tsuyu turned her head and looked up at Katsuki, her hand gently grasping Katsuki's, as they both stood across the street from McDonald's.

It was Saturday and late in the evening—almost 8:00 P.M. in fact—and neither of them had eaten dinner yet. They had been dating for two months now, but never went public about it because they wanted their privacy. When they had first started dating, all their friends and old high school classmates had known immediately, and majority of them were _shocked_ because how in the _world_ did Tsuyu Asui and Katsuki Bakugo, the 21-year-old man who once threatened to kill anyone who angered him even the slightest back in high school, become an item? Despite that shock, everyone was still supportive of them and agreed to keep their relationship a secret.

Unfortunately, the media recently found out about their relationship a week ago because a tabloid reporter had been following Tsuyu when she was Froppy. Tsuyu would always meet with Katsuki after their patrolling was over because it was a thing for them to check in with each other after patrolling was done to reaffirm that nothing had happened to the other and to spend time with each other before heading home, so when she felt someone following her, she immediately managed to lose that reporter. Unfortunately, that reporter had a partner, who had a _camera_ and was situated on another building's rooftop.

And, of course, the media blew up about it because this tabloid had shown a picture just when Katsuki and Tsuyu had shared their good-bye kiss—a kiss they always shared before separating, but only if there weren't any prying eyes.

Needless to say, when that whole spiel happened, Tsuyu had to stop Katsuki from exploding the entire tabloid company's buildings down to ashes— _multiple_ times, in fact—until Tsuyu told him that at least now, they can hold hands in public while they were civilians, which made Katsuki pause, rethink, and finally calm down since she had a point.

Of course, that didn't stop from the unnecessary badgering from reporters whenever they caught Tsuyu or Katsuki while they were doing their superhero duties. Although Tsuyu would always coolly say, "No comment," Katsuki would immediately start threatening every reporter. Eventually, Tsuyu had to tell Katsuki that he needed to keep his temper under control because the angrier he got, the more the reporters kept badgering _him_ instead of Tsuyu—which Katsuki said he didn't mind because he'd rather they badger him than her, but _still._

"Do you not like McDonald's?" Tsuyu asked.

"That's not that I said," Katsuki said dryly. "I meant, why McDonald's when we could've gone to that one restaurant?"

"That's further away, though."

"Yeah, but you could've brought home your leftovers for tomorrow or breakfast."

"True, _but…_ "

Katsuki snorted before raising an eyebrow. "You were craving a burger, weren't you?"

"You know me so well," Tsuyu said teasingly as she smiled.

Katsuki groaned.

"You can order fries since I know you like them so much," Tsuyu sang, starting to pull Katsuki along with her to cross the street once the pedestrian signal turned green.

"That _does_ sound tempting," Katsuki grumbled, not even trying to fight back as he walked across the street with Tsuyu.

Within seconds, they entered the McDonald's restaurant and walked up to the register since the place was mostly empty.

The cashier's eyes bugged out immediately upon seeing them before breaking out into a big smile. "Hi! What would you like?"

"A large Big Mac meal for me please," Tsuyu answered, feeling Katsuki's thumb brush against hers. "Oh, with Sprite!"

"Same here, but with Coke instead," Katsuki added.

"Okay!" the cashier replied. "For here or to-go?"

Katsuki turned to Tsuyu. "Do you want to eat here or bring it home?"

Home, of course, meant Katsuki's apartment where he lived alone. Tsuyu had made a habit of spending time with him on weekends; sometimes, she even stayed over and slept when she was too exhausted to go home.

"Let's eat it here," Tsuyu replied. "If we bring it home, it might be a bit colder by then."

Katsuki shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Okay, I marked your order as to-go," the cashier said. "Anything else I can get for you?"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow at Tsuyu, and when she shook her head, Katsuki replied to the cashier, "Nah, that's it."

"Okay, that'll be ¥1,340."

Tsuyu let go of Katsuki's hand to grab for her wallet in her bag, but immediately, Katsuki stopped her by putting his arm in front of her.

"I'll pay this time," Katsuki said as he pulled out his wallet and then paid using cash.

"But, I can at least pay half—"

"You're my girlfriend, so don't worry about it," Katsuki interrupted as the cashier handed him his change and receipt with the order number on top.

"Fine, but if you happen to find my half later in your wallet, you're keeping it," Tsuyu replied, smiling as they headed to find a table.

Katsuki snorted. "Then I'll make you take it back."

"Okay, but the question is if you can."

Once they found one and sat across from each other, Katsuki scowled. "Any reporters bother you lately?"

Tsuyu shook her head. "No."

"Good."

"I think you scared them all," Tsuyu said, laughing a bit.

" _Good._ "

Tsuyu laughed louder in response.

As if on cue, they heard a number get called out, and Katsuki checked the number on his receipt before getting up to get their order. After a few minutes, Katsuki was back with a tray of their food and their two large sodas, and he handed Tsuyu her soda.

"Thanks," Tsuyu said.

Katsuki grunted in response before he began immediately eating his fries.

Tsuyu couldn't help but smile. " _So_ , do you regret not going to that other restaurant now?"

Katsuki raised an amused eyebrow and grinned. "Just eat your damn food, or else _I'll_ eat it for you."


	7. Fantasy AU

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _**My Hero Academia**_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

 **A/N:** I decided to post this late because I wanted to finish off my collection of Katsuyu one-shots with a bit of a bang (and because real life responsibilities kicked into full gear, so I needed to get those sorted out first before returning to any of my writing). Here's the seventh and final one-shot for Katsuyu Week 2018! The prompt for Day 7 is _Fantasy AU_. (If any of you want to contribute, head on over to **katsuyuweek** on Tumblr to see the prompts, rules, and guidelines!

As you can probably tell from the prompt for this day, this one-shot's a Fantasy AU, and it's a lot longer than the previous ones with an actual plot and story building behind it. It took me a while to figure out how to make this fantasy-related, honestly, because it was difficult to think of what kind of mythical creature would fit Katsuki. In the end, I managed to find one that I thought fit him pretty well and decided to stick with it.

As always, fair warning: expect some coarse language (because Katsuki likes to curse). There's also some dark topics/themes that are in this one-shot, such as murders and deaths. Finally, there are mentions of IzuOcha, which builds its relationship alongside Katsuyu.

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventual**

Day 7: _Fantasy AU_

To say that Katsuki was bored was an understatement. He could feel his horns beginning to poke out from his hair as he stood against his tree, and as every second passed, he felt the night breeze become cooler. Granted, it was a hot summer night—already past midnight, in fact—and here he was, waiting deep in the depths of the stupid forest a long distance from the nearest kingdom.

It was a dangerous time right now for people like him—monsters, demons, and devils alike—to be out in the open. Many of them had already gone into hiding, either in faraway islands, towns, and villages that no one would dare venture toward because that was the only way they could safely hide. There were kind enough mages in the area who cast a spell that would disguise monsters, demons, and devils as humans to go into hiding.

Izuku had told him recently of a dwelling somewhere in the world where humans, monsters, demons, and devils could live together in peace. Katsuki, of course, scoffed at the idea and scolded him for even thinking that living alongside humans was a good idea when they were the ones _killing_ their kind. He even reminded him that both he and Izuku had lost their parents—that Katsuki _witnessed_ his own parents _slaughtered_ by those _wrenched_ humans, that Izuku _witnessed_ his own parents' _execution_ and _torture_ when they were both just _10 years old_ , that they _both_ lost so many classmates and friends and their parents and _their families_ —and yet, Izuku still had the gall to want to go there—because Izuku had said that these humans were not like the ones here, that supposedly, these humans had developed a treaty long ago with monsters, demons, and devils because everyone grew tired of war and being _afraid_ of what was going to happen to them.

Katsuki heard rustling, and he immediately got ready—ready to launch at whoever dared to sneak up on him in case it was an enemy—until he saw that it was Izuku who had popped out, so his stance relaxed.

"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku greeted sheepishly, his horns nowhere near in sight, before pausing and blinking. "Uh, your horns are poking out."

"Whose fault do you think that is?" Katsuki growled. "What the hell took you so long?"

"Uh, some travelers who were trying to get to the kingdom found me and asked me for directions…but then they started asking me questions like where I was going so late at night, and well, it took a _really_ long while to shake them off."

Katsuki sighed, this time with a scolding tone. "You didn't _have_ to help them."

"I know, but they looked like they were tired and desperately needed a place to stay, and I mean, they were probably looking for the kingdom to find an inn, so—"

" _That's not the point_ ," Katsuki snapped. "What happened if the spell wore off on you then, huh? I wouldn't have been able to save your ass, you dumbass! Look, I know you inherited your powers from All Might, but you're still not in fucking control of them yet, for fuck's sake!"

"Kacchan," Izuku began, trying to cut off Katsuki's aggression, temper, and concern before it got worse. "I had the spell redone on me a lot more recently than you did, so I knew mine wouldn't have worn off."

" _Deku_ —"

"And I would've handled myself just fine even if it did wear off. My horns are a bit easier to hide than yours, remember?"

Katsuki scowled—because he had a point. Katsuki's horns were red and stuck out because of his blond hair, compared to Izuku's green horns—not to mention Izuku's dark hair was a bit messier and longer than his.

Finally, Katsuki grunted. "Whatever. When's the next boat to that island?"

"It'll leave in about an hour, and it'll take about half an hour from here to walk there."

Katsuki growled again. "Less talking, more walking, then!"

"But Kacchan—"

"What _now_ , Deku?"

"Someone might see your horns," Izuku hissed softly. "I didn't think I'd encounter anyone outside the kingdom so late, but…"

"Right," Katsuki muttered in response.

"Did you bring your cloak?"

"No. I was in a rush because I wanted to get here in time."

Izuku immediately started digging around in his shoulder bag.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "Wait, where the fuck did you get that bag from?"

"The travelers gave it to me as a gift for showing them the way to the kingdom," Izuku replied.

"They even gave you the stuff in there, too?"

"Yeah. See, Kacchan? It doesn't hurt to be nice."

Katsuki scowled.

"I think there might be something in here… Ah-ha!" Izuku immediately brought out a brown baker boy cap before handing it to Katsuki, who took it and placed it on his head. "Hey, it hides your horns!"

"Good," Katsuki replied. "Let's get going already. If we miss that ship, we'll lose this opportunity to get to that island."

Izuku nodded, and immediately, they began to run as fast as they could in the dead and darkness of the night to get to the boat that was in the furthest corner of the island—the corner that no one from the kingdom dared to venture because of the rumors that all monsters, demons, and devils alike managed to spread about a toxic fatal gas that would cause a deadly disease in humans—because this was their chance to flee from this cursed place filled with bloodshed, gore, despair, and injustice.

And even though Katsuki hated running away—because hell, he thought about fighting against them multiple times—he knew what humans were capable of. To him, they were heartless monsters who found it justifiable to make the devil race nearly extinct, to go on a complete _massacre_ —but if there were humans who wouldn't hurt him or Izuku and if Izuku was dead set on going to that island, then fuck it, he may as well go, too—because Izuku was like a brother to him by now, and he'd be damned to let his devil brother go alone in this shitty, cursed world.

* * *

Katsuki, Izuku, and many other monsters and demons they recognized from the island and neighboring islands were on the ship with them. Mages were on the ship, too, recasting spells to continue disguising anyone whose spell had worn off, like Katsuki's, and to continue making the ship appear invisible to any outsiders.

By the time it was nearing dawn, the ship had arrived at its destination. One by one, everyone left the ship, which was still disguised, and the mages began showing everyone to the way to the town.

Katsuki was exhausted, to say the least, and he knew Izuku was the same. Neither of them slept the entire way because they had been on edge the entire time, wondering if maybe the ship would've been discovered, and within an instant, they could've all died—and it was that fear that made Katsuki and Izuku try to stay in proximity of each other in case something like that happened, because they were most likely the strongest out of all the monsters and demons on board, many of whom had families and beloved ones.

Finally, they all arrived at the town.

"Okay, everyone!" one of the mages called out. "We're finally arrived! Please head to the town square, so the mayor, who is a fairy, can make an announcement before you all disperse and settle down."

"Fairy?" Katsuki muttered before he blinked, and his face fell flat. "Oh, no…"

Izuku let out a loud gasp before whispering excitedly, "Kacchan, we're going to meet a _fairy!_ "

Katsuki groaned. "Can you _not?_ "

"But, but, but—"

Katsuki groaned again.

Nonetheless, they went with the rest of the crowd to the town square, and on the large stage that was set up, the mayor, who had her wings spread open and wide, stood confidently on the podium.

"Good morning, everyone," the mayor said, the microphone she was speaking into blaring loudly enough to wake anyone in the audience who was asleep. "First off, I am _so_ thankful that all of you were able to make it to our humble town safe and sound. I know many of you had the choice of going other places to live the rest of your lives in peace and away from humans, so thank you for coming here and deciding to live with the rest of us.

"I'm sure you've heard this already, but I can assure you that the humans in this town will never harm you. This place was created long, long ago during the turmoil between the King of Darkness, humans, and creatures alike. We humans and creatures—fairies, elves, monsters, demons, devils, and everyone else—all banded together as if we were one to defeat the King of Darkness, who represented the void and nothingness and wanted nothing more than everything in our realm to be destroyed and erased.

"We won, of course—but at a large cost. We lost many lives, but it was thanks to the humans who fought alongside us that we were able to win. Many of the humans who participated in that battle long, long ago took residence here, while everyone else returned to their respective dwellings. For a long while, we all lived in peace.

"But, times have changed," the mayor muttered with a dark, somber tone. "I myself don't know when or how it happened, but somehow, along the way, future generations began to forget about the King of Darkness. Monsters, demons, and devils alike, who used to all live in fear and were under the rule of the King of Darkness, and humans slowly forgot what happened long, long ago. Now, I'm sure many of you have heard of the massacres that happened years ago—massacres that have killed so many families and almost the eradication of devils."

Katsuki and Izuku flinched.

"I don't know if any of you are devils because many of you are still under the spell," the mayor continued before her tone almost breaking. "But, if you are, then I just want to say this: I'm so thankful that you're alive—because none of you deserve to have gone through that at all."

Katsuki let out a sharp intake of breath, trying to compose himself. He glanced over at Izuku, whose eyes had become saddened.

The mayor let out a shaky breath before sighing. "I know many of you have lived in fear of humans—but I can assure you that you're safe here. In our town, we always do our best to pass on the tale of what happened between our ancestors, humans, and the King of Darkness—to remind us that they fought for the peace we have today.

"Every human you meet here will be kind and treat you as the person you are, _not_ based on your species or how you look. If at any point, you feel uncomfortable, please let me or one of the mages know, and we can try to resolve the issue. For now, we have a dedicated building for you all to rest and live in from now on, so please follow the mages after this is over. Any questions?"

No one raised their hand.

"Okay, then, everyone, please follow the mages in a single-orderly fashion!"

Despite what the mayor said, there was still a bit of a crowd as everyone followed the mages.

"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku whispered.

"What?" Katsuki asked.

"Do you… Do you think there might be other devils here? Besides just you and me?"

Katsuki frowned. A part of him wanted to say that there couldn't be because nearly all devils held some grudge or fear toward humans, so they wouldn't dare set foot in this place—but he knew how Izuku felt, because honestly, there was part deep down in Katsuki's heart that hit him hard, especially during that speech, that he and Izuku were two of the however many devils existed now.

"Honestly, Deku?" Katsuki finally replied. "I really don't know."

* * *

A week had passed by then, and it was strange how quickly the days had passed and how soon everyone had adjusted to the everyday, normal, peaceful life in the town.

Katsuki had sleepless nights sometimes, though. He couldn't bring himself to sleep because the memories of _that day_ just lingered in his mind, and he knew Izuku had been having nightmares again because he heard Izuku screaming in his sleep the next room over, so he had to run over and wake up Izuku, who would sometimes wake up sobbing and apologizing for not listening to Mom and Dad and how he _never_ should've trusted those human kids who he thought were his friends and that it was _his_ fault that they died.

"It's not your fucking fault," Katsuki had snapped. "How many times do I have to say that?"

"I know, but…" Izuku's cheeks were stained with dry tears, his eyes puffy. "I just… I just kept thinking about the what-if's."

"Well, _stop_ because…" Katsuki couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Because none of that's going to bring them back."

Their late-night conversation had eventually led to the question of whether Toshinori Yagi—Izuku's godfather who was referred to as "All Might" between them because it was thanks to his might, strength, and power that Izuku and Katsuki were able to live that day—was going to pop by the town and live with them, and Izuku mentioned that Toshinori told him he was, but he didn't know when he'd be arriving.

And now, here Katsuki was, in the food district looking for something to cook for lunch with Izuku, who had decided to stay behind to rest after his nightmares. Just as he was about to grab an apple, he saw another hand also reaching for the same one, and both hands immediately stopped.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

Katsuki blinked before turning his head to the person beside him.

She was short—extremely short, actually—and had big doe-like eyes that held this aura of innocence and compassion around her. Her long hair was tied into a bow near the end, near where her dress' length had ended.

"It's fine," Katsuki replied, giving her another once-over—because, really, she _was_ cute, but she…looked _human_ , and his instinctive nature told him not to trust or approach her and be on guard. Immediately, he grabbed a different apple.

"Are you making apple pie?"

"No. But my friend likes fruits, so I figure giving him a few would help."

There was a long pause, and Katsuki was about to turn around and leave until she said, "Would you and your friend be part of the large crowd of creatures who arrived a week ago?"

Katsuki slowly nodded before he immediately narrowed his eyes, his instinctive, defensive nature kicking in. "But what's it to you?"

"Just wondering. I see you come by this booth whenever I come here for grocery shopping, and, well, you looked new, so…"

Katsuki frowned. He very rarely interacted with the humans around in town. Well, if anything, it was Izuku who dragged Katsuki into town, and Katsuki would go along to make sure to have Izuku's back because damn it all, there was a part of him that still felt _on edge_.

"I'm Tsuyu Asui," the girl said, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Katsuki Bakugo," he replied, but he glanced warily at her hand, not daring to shake it.

Eventually, Tsuyu's hand and face dropped. "Sorry. I met a few of creatures already who came into town, and they seemed friendly—but I forgot there were ones like you who are probably instinctively scared of humans."

"I'm not scared," Katsuki retorted.

"Then, why don't you want to shake my hand?"

"Why should I?"

Tsuyu hummed. "Fair point. Anyway, I need to get back to shopping. I guess I'll see you later, then?"

Katsuki furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

"Oh, right, I guess you're still new, so you probably haven't heard. I'm the daughter of the innkeepers here in town, so feel free to come any time, okay? I'm more available in the evenings, though."

Katsuki furrowed his brow even more in confusion, practically squinting his eyes at the absurdity of that idea. "Why would I need to—"

Tsuyu was gone—nowhere in sight—and with that, Katsuki was left flabbergasted and confused.

* * *

A month had passed since then, and by now, Toshinori was now living with Izuku and Katsuki. Toshinori had made his own abode within the town where the three of them could live together until Katsuki and Izuku were comfortable enough in town to move out on their own if they wanted.

A week ago, however, Izuku had met a girl—a _human_ girl who was the daughter of one of the mages—and honestly, Katsuki felt like smacking him every time he saw that lovestruck face.

It also made Katsuki wonder about how open-minded people were here regarding interspecies relationships. He heard about how some demons have gotten together with humans before and bred half-demons, but back where they lived, those half-demons often underwent a lot of ridicule and bullying from both species—because they weren't fully human, but they weren't fully demon either.

Those thoughts were on his mind again when he went to go grocery shopping—and there, he encountered Tsuyu, just he always had ever since that day he met her.

"So, is it true?" Tsuyu asked.

"Is what true?"

"That you're not a demon?"

Katsuki furrowed his brow. " _Huh?_ I thought you knew that already."

"Well, I thought you were a demon this entire time because of your horns."

"I mean, I don't blame you since both demons and devils have horns."

"So…it's true, then? That you're a devil?"

"Yeah. Demons can have horns, too—some species do, some don't—but the ones that do have horns are never shaped like a devil's." Katsuki pointed to his horns for emphasis. "An easier way to tell us apart is by our skin tone because for devils, our skin tones always match the exact color of our horns, but once devils hit puberty, we gain the ability to change our skin tone to that of a human's, so we can blend in better with them."

"Oh, I didn't know that… Ochaco didn't mention that to me."

Katsuki blinked. "Who?"

"Ochaco Uraraka, my friend. She recently met with Midoriya, your friend, and she told me how she found out that both he and his friend were the only two devils in town, aside from Yagi. The only Midoriya in town is Izuku, and, well, you're his friend, so…"

Katsuki grunted. "Makes sense."

"Yeah." Tsuyu paused. "Hey, um, are you planning to go to the Moonlight Festival at the end of this week?"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, and he noticed there was a hint of pinkness on Tsuyu's cheeks—or maybe he was just imagining things. "Well, I was planning on not going, but All Might and Izuku might drag my ass to the festival, so I can't say for sure."

"You should come," Tsuyu said, smiling. "There'll be lots of food and a whole banquet, music, singing, dancing, and anything else you can imagine."

Katsuki frowned. "Doesn't sound like I'd like it."

"You don't have to dance, Bakugo. You can just eat and pig out like the little devil you are."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at her.

Tsuyu then raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"I hate you."

"Love you, too."

At once, Katsuki's face flushed. "Wait, _what_ —"

"Oh, look at the time. I got to go now. Bye, Bakugo!"

Just like that, Tsuyu left again, and Katsuki was left flabbergasted, even more so than when he had first met her.

* * *

It was the night of the festival, and just as Katsuki figured, he was dragged to attend the festival— _literally_ , out of his bed by Toshinori and pulled out of the house by Izuku—against his will. Granted, the night was beautiful, so he couldn't completely complain—not to mention that wonderful enticing aroma of food from the banquet.

Izuku had long disappeared ago to hang out with that human girl he had a crush on named Ochaco. Katsuki could've sworn he saw them dancing shyly with each other, and for fuck's sake, it made him cringe just watching them because it was obvious to anyone at that point that both were romantically interested in each other.

So, Katsuki was alone, grabbing food to eat because he missed dinner since he overslept—his sleepless nights had finally caught up to him, so he downright knocked out on his bed earlier until Toshinori literally dragged him out of it—and munching down on it as much as he could.

"Wow, Bakugo, be sure to save some for the rest of the townspeople."

Katsuki frowned, recognizing that voice, and swallowed down whatever remained in his mouth. "Shut it, Asui."

Tsuyu couldn't help but laugh in response as she went to sit down next to him.

Katsuki noticed then that she was dressed a lot nicer than usual, wearing more of a formal dress that highlighted her figure, compared to that innkeeper's uniform she always wore. "You sure dressed up."

"You didn't."

Katsuki scoffed. "I woke up a little while ago, so that's my excuse."

"I wanted to look nice, so that's _my_ excuse."

"Fair enough."

"Are you enjoying the festival so far?"

Katsuki frowned, thinking for a bit. "Well, the food's good."

"Food counts."

"What about you? Shouldn't you be hanging out with Uraraka, not with me?"

"I'm doing okay. And Ochaco's with Midoriya. I'm kind of hoping at least _one_ of them makes a move on the other tonight."

"Right, the lovebirds. I didn't realize they were still dancing together."

"Do you have a dance partner?"

"I don't want to dance."

"Or maybe you _can't_ dance."

Katsuki's jaw dropped at her insinuation—his eyes narrowed, in fact, when she smirked in response—so he immediately stood up. "Okay, that's it. Get up."

Tsuyu blinked. "What?"

"Get up. You're dancing with me."

Tsuyu blinked again in surprise, just before Katsuki pulled Tsuyu away from the table, and they danced together.

The music playing was a cheerful one, one that anyone could dance to—but when it turned into a slow dance song, and they started dancing closer to each other, it felt weird.

It felt weird for Katsuki because he never really felt this way before, not with the way her head was against his chest because she was so short, and the dress really did look nice on her.

The second she looked up at him was when it hit him—the sudden epiphany of what he was feeling, that is—and it took everything in him to not make excuses to leave the festival because he'd be damned if he did that while everyone else was looking, so instead, he told himself that he'd avoid Tsuyu from now on—for good.

* * *

A week passed since Katsuki had been avoiding Tsuyu, and later that evening, Izuku stood in Katsuki's bedroom doorway, blocking his path to leave.

"What do you want, Deku?" Katsuki asked.

"Uraraka told me that Asui's worried about you," Izuku replied. "Why have you been avoiding her?"

"I'm not avoiding her."

"But you _are._ "

Katsuki growled.

"Kacchan, _why_ are you avoiding her?" Izuku asked, frowning. "It's not like you to just suddenly do that. I thought you and Asui were friends." Izuku paused. "Did something happen at the festival?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue.

"Oh, so something _did_ happen."

"Shut up, Deku."

"What happened?"

" _Nothing_ happened!"

"Well, _something_ must've happened if you're avoiding her like the plague now!"

"Nothing happened! We just danced, that's all!"

"And that's it?"

" _Yes_ , and there was a fucking _slow song_ , so I don't know, at some point, she kind of just put her head on my chest because she's so fucking _short_ , and when she looked up at me, it just—it felt weird."

Izuku's eyes bugged out, and his jaw dropped. "You mean…"

"Shut up."

Izuku gasped.

" _Shut it, Deku!_ "

"You have a crush on—"

"SHUT UP!"

Izuku's jaw was still dropped. "But, I thought you'd never like a human girl."

"I thought so, too," Katsuki grumbled.

"Wait… So that's why you've been avoiding her!"

"Gee, you think?" Katsuki said dryly, rolling his eyes.

"But, you should at least let her know!"

"Oh, yeah, like I should just go up to her and tell her that I'm avoiding her because I can't get over the fact that I like a _human_ girl."

Izuku opened his mouth before closing it and pondering for a second. "Okay, fair point, but you should at least talk to her. She _is_ worried about you, you know."

Katsuki sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to her."

* * *

Well, Katsuki had said to Izuku he'd do that, so he figured better sooner than later, so he dropped by the inn and asked Tsuyu to meet him later in the evening at the fountain.

But now, here he was, standing at the fountain and not knowing what he should say to her. He knew he shouldn't tell her about his feelings because really, for all he knew, they could be fleeting and not serious, but on the other hand, she was one of the only townspeople he had grown close ever since he arrived.

"Hey, Bakugo," Tsuyu greeted once she ran up to him.

"Hey," he replied.

"So, how have you been?"

"Okay, I guess."

Tsuyu hummed in response, tip-toeing to get a closer look at Katsuki's face.

Honestly, it took everything in Katsuki to not back away.

"Well, you _look_ healthy…" Tsuyu mumbled.

"Devils have stronger immune systems than humans, you know," Katsuki said.

"I know, but for all I know, you could've gotten food poisoning or something after the festival."

"Well, I didn't."

"Then, why did you avoid me?"

And just like that, Katsuki flinched because _wow_ , was she blunt about it.

Tsuyu stared at Katsuki in silence for a few seconds before sighing. "Look… If it's about us slow dancing, then don't worry about it."

"Huh?"

"We're just friends who did a slow dance together. It's not a big deal."

"We're not _just_ friends!" Katsuki retorted.

Tsuyu blinked.

Katsuki _also_ blinked, and then, he realized _what the hell just came out of his mouth_ , so he immediately pursed his lips. "Uh, I mean, uh…"

"If we're not just friends, then what are we?" Tsuyu asked in a calm tone.

"No!"

Tsuyu then raised an eyebrow.

"Just—just shut up for a second while I think, will you?" Katsuki replied, trying to calm his beating heart. "Uh, what I meant was, we're friends, but—but I guess, in a way, uh, we're not _just_ friends."

"And that's what I asked. If we're not just friends, then what are we?"

There was a long pause of silence.

Katsuki pursed his lips again. "Uh, I mean, I…I don't know. I just—I just saw you differently that night, that's all."

"Different how so?"

Katsuki groaned, _really_ hating how she kept asking questions one after another. "I mean, you looked nice, but when we started slow dancing, it kind of… It kind of changed—or, well, my perception of you changed a bit, I guess, so, I mean, I…I don't know."

"Oh." Tsuyu paused. "So, _basically_ , you're telling me that you avoided me because you like me."

"Yes."

There was a long pause of silence.

Immediately, Katsuki felt his face begin to flare up. "Wait, that's not what I—"

"If it makes you feel any better, I like you, too," Tsuyu interrupted, smiling.

If Katsuki's face could flare up any further, then he knew for sure his cheeks _and_ ears must've been burning red by now. "I…I… What?! Wait, when did you start liking me?!"

Tsuyu shrugged. "I'm not sure. It just happened naturally. I think it was during one of our grocery shopping days at the food district."

Katsuki's jaw dropped.

"But, I mean, I'm okay with staying friends with you, too, if you just want to stay friends."

"Okay, _first off_ , you don't confess and then just say you can be friends with the person _who also likes you back_. That doesn't make sense!"

"Yes, but considering how you _avoided_ me for a week… It sounds like you don't really want to go to the next level with me."

"What next level?"

"Getting into a relationship with me," Tsuyu mumbled with a rueful smile.

Katsuki felt his heart skip a beat.

"But, that doesn't matter because I like being friends with you, Bakugo, and I'd rather put our friendship first."

"I…" Katsuki let out a shaky breath. "No, Asui, I do like you, but—but it's hard." Katsuki paused. "It's hard because…because you're a _human_ —and I don't mean that in a bad way or anything. It's just…"

Tsuyu stayed silent, staring at Katsuki calmly.

Katsuki sighed. "You heard, right? About that whole massacre that basically made almost the entire devil race extinct?"

"Yes," Tsuyu said softly. "I figured that was also why you avoided me."

Katsuki snorted. "Well, how perceptive of you. Would you like a gold medal for that, Sherlock?"

"How about a kiss instead?"

Katsuki's face flared up again. "What—"

Tsuyu laughed. "I'm _kidding_ , Bakugo."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes before he sighed again. "But anyway, yeah, it's…it's hard." Katsuki paused. "For some reason, Deku's always been able to see the good in humans, despite what they did to his parents—but for me, I had difficulty seeing any good in them after that day. And when things got worse to the point where the king started ordering his knights to hunt down any creatures, regardless of how old they were, everything just…went into chaos. And when they found me and Deku when our spell ran out once…we were only 13.

"They didn't _care_ about us—or our age because most likely, we were the same age as one of their kids," Katsuki growled. "They just didn't give a damn. They wanted to capture us and put us for sale in the black market, where we could become someone's pets. I remember fighting back that day, and it got to the point where they were going to slice my head off with one of their swords—but then Deku ended up releasing his full devil powers to save my stupid ass, so we managed to get away—barely, though, and alive at the very least.

"That's why… That's why it was difficult for me to accept me even liking you," Katsuki mumbled. "Because I never thought I'd end up liking a human girl—because you're _human_ , the one species that nearly _obliterated_ my kind and _killed_ my parents before my eyes when I was just 10—and I'm fucking 16 now." Katsuki paused. "But, I know now that not all humans are the same. I mean, you're an example, and so is every other human in this town."

Tsuyu gently placed her hand on Katsuki's, who slowly grasped hers in return. "Bakugo… Thank you for sharing that to me. Really. I know it must've been difficult for you to say all that." Tsuyu paused, letting out a small sigh before smiling softly. "How about we take things slow for now?"

"Slow?" Katsuki replied, inwardly appreciating how Tsuyu's hand and soft grasp was able to calm him down from getting _too far in_ with those dark memories.

Tsuyu nodded. "We don't have to address our feelings for now. We can just remain as friends until you feel comfortable."

"That…doesn't sound like a bad idea." Katsuki paused. "One question, though."

"Yes?"

"Can we still hold hands and stuff?"

Tsuyu let out a soft giggle. "Yes, if you want."

"And one more thing: you can stop referring to me by my last name."

"Okay, _Katsuki_ ," Tsuyu replied, rolling her eyes with a teasing smile. "Very demanding, aren't you?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky you're cute."

Tsuyu couldn't help but laugh.

In response, Katsuki gripped her hand firmly, enough to remind himself that this was happening, that this wasn't a dream, and that maybe, one day, he will be with her _officially_ —and he hoped that by then, he would stop being plagued by those forsaken, dark memories and look only toward the future with Tsuyu in it.


End file.
